IIA Begins Formation of New Institute in Israel

Different leadership helps re-establish the country’s official voice and guiding body of the internal audit profession

ALTAMONTE SPRINGS, Fla., USA — The global board of directors of The Institute of Internal Auditors (The Global IIA, or The IIA) unanimously voted to recognize a new Institute in formation in Israel (IIA Israel). Hagai Tenenbaum-Erez has been elected as the top officer of IIA-Israel, and he will lead the organization in its role as the official IIA voice and guiding body of the internal audit profession in Israel. More than 600 internal auditors have already joined the new organization. In June 2011, The Global IIA disaffiliated its former Institute in Israel but has since identified this new representation to re-establish its presence there.

“We are committed to ensuring IIA services are available to our stakeholders and all internal audit practitioners in Israel, and we greatly value the relationship with our Israeli counterparts. We are excited about the future of the profession in this part of the world,” said IIA Global Chairman of the Board Denny Beran, CIA, CCSA, CRMA. “We have shared values with this new leadership and we look forward to working with them on providing exceptional service, guidance, and advocacy for the profession.”

IIA Global Operations Chief David Polansky and IIA Senior Vice Chairman of the Board Phil Tarling will serve as direct points of contact for IIA Israel and will guide the Institute’s formation. “This new relationship will ensure the requirements for IIA Institute affiliation are met and policies are followed in the best interest of the internal audit profession and IIA members in Israel,” said Polansky. “We look forward to putting to rest the prior issues that resulted in the former Institute’s disaffiliation from The Global IIA.”

Standard agreements between Global IIA and its fully affiliated Institutes state that only one body is recognized per geographic area to represent The IIA. In exchange for this and other commitments from Global IIA, leadership of the newly formed IIA Israel has agreed to adhere to a number of requirements including:

Developing fair membership policies.

Protecting IIA intellectual property, including The IIA’s professional certification exams.

Adhering to The IIA’s Code of Ethics and principles of transparency.

Upholding strong governance practices as required by Global IIA.

Developing professional guidance aligned to The IIA’s International Professional Practices Framework (IPPF).

Tarling and IIA President and CEO Richard Chambers will visit Israel in February to participate in a roundtable forum and conference hosted by the new IIA Israel to discuss current challenges and opportunities facing internal auditors in Israel. The IIA also recently made the Hebrew translation of the Certified Internal Auditor exam available via computer-based testing. The delivery enhancement comes in response to continued growth of the internal audit profession globally and the need to provide Hebrew-speaking registrants with greater flexibility to sit for the exam.

“This is an exciting time for The IIA in Israel. The internal audit profession is continuing to gain recognition and this is another step in its evolving stature,” said Tenenbaum-Erez. “On behalf of the new leadership of IIA Israel, I want to tell our members, internal audit practitioners throughout our country, and The Global IIA how excited we are to carry the Institute forward, and we welcome achieving success together.”

Established in 1941, The Global IIA operates through more than 100 IIA Institutes worldwide that support The IIA’s mission, participate in its global governance, and contribute to its global strategic plan. The Global IIA maintains the IPPF comprising the International Standards for the Professional Practice of Internal Auditing and other globally applicable guidance, as well as offers global certification programs.